Pirate Bay founders lose court appeal

The Pirate Bay co-founders have lost their appeal against a 2009 ruling that they were illegally sharing copyrighted content.

The decision by a Swedish court means that the co-founders now face time behind bars.

Fredrik Neij faces 10 months in prison, Peter Sunde has been sentenced to 8 months and Carl Lundstrom 4. The final member of the group, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, was too ill to attend court and will be sentenced at a later date.

The men also face a hefty fine of 46 million Swedish Crowns (about £4.1 million).

Lawyers for music labels and movie studios accused The Pirate Bay's co-founders of helping people circumvent copyright controls.

The founders defended themselves, and stated that The Pirate Bay did not host any pirated material directly.

Where this leaves The Pirate Bay now is unclear - the site is still functioning at present.